Bio: Maria Kozak, 44, Warsaw, Poland and Upstate New York
Here, we ask the artist about the details behind a recent work.
Title of work: There is one day — at times it gets dark.
Where to see it: Leto Gallery, Warsaw, Poland
Three words to describe this work: ambiguous, layered narratives
What was on your mind at the time: Be the river
An interesting feature that’s not immediately noticeable: All of these paintings began on my tablet. I used to start on a blank canvas and see where it led but would repaint it endlessly. I love that the technology thinks as fast as we do. I can try a hundred different color combinations in seconds. I can erase. I am always cutting and pasting from other drawings. I work in endless layers so these paintings become infinite realities. And there are all of these beautiful happy accidents. It’s a collaboration with the ether and the machine. Then you get another layer of magic in the paint and the revelations that happen there.
How the work reflects your practice as a whole: It contains a lot of the elements that make up most of my work; a social cacophony, a little bit of darkness, a little bit of light, and the current of energy that runs through all things
One song that captures the work’s essence: “Ghost Song,” Jim Morrison, The Doors 1978
